SQAS

SQAS (Safety and Quality Assessment for Sustainability) is an assessment system developed by CEFIC, the European Chemical Industry Council, to evaluate the safety, quality, security, environmental and social performance of logistics service providers and distributors that work with the chemical industry. It is not a certification with a pass or fail result, but a standardised, independent assessment whose detailed reports let chemical companies judge and compare their service providers.

What is SQAS?

SQAS was first launched by CEFIC in 1992 to give the chemical sector a single, consistent way to assess the sustainability and safety performance of its supply chain partners. Instead of each manufacturer running its own audits, companies share SQAS assessments, which reduces duplication and audit costs across the industry. By 2020 the scheme had passed more than 1,000 assessments across Europe.

The key idea is that SQAS produces a factual report rather than a certificate. Independent, CEFIC-accredited assessors complete a standardised questionnaire on site, and the resulting scores are stored in a central database that chemical companies can consult when selecting and monitoring suppliers.

The SQAS modules

SQAS is built around different modules so it can cover the whole land-logistics chain. The main modules are:

• Transport Service: road transport companies that move chemicals.
• Tank Cleaning Stations: facilities that clean tanks and containers.
• Warehouses: storage of chemical products.
• Rail: rail transport operators.
• ESAD (Distributors): chemical distributors, assessed through a scheme developed together with the European Association of Chemical Distributors (FECC).

Each assessment combines a common core with the module and specific questions relevant to the type of activity and products handled, so the evaluation reflects each provider's real operations.

What SQAS assesses

An SQAS assessment looks across several dimensions that matter for a safe and sustainable chemical supply chain, including:

• Management systems and the safety culture of the organisation.
• Process and operational safety, and emergency preparedness.
• Quality control and traceability of operations.
• Environmental performance and, increasingly, social responsibility and CO2-related practices.

Assessments are normally valid for three years, after which a new assessment is required to keep the information current. In recent years SQAS has also been connected to initiatives such as Operation Clean Sweep, which helps companies prevent the loss of plastic pellets into the environment.

SQAS and other management systems

One of the strengths of SQAS is that it complements, rather than replaces, formal management system standards. Providers often combine it with:

• ISO 9001 for quality management.
• ISO 14001 for environmental management.
• ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety.

Because the questionnaire is standardised and applied the same way everywhere, SQAS adds a layer of comparability on top of these certifications, giving customers a more contextual picture of how a provider actually performs.

Benefits of SQAS

• Objective, comparable information for selecting and monitoring logistics and distribution partners.
• Lower auditing costs, because one assessment serves many customers.
• Greater transparency and traceability across the chemical supply chain.
• A clear driver of continuous improvement in safety, environmental and social performance.

SQAS, sustainability and the carbon footprint

SQAS increasingly reflects environmental and CO2-related expectations, which links it to the wider work companies do on their carbon footprint and sustainable supply chain. Transport and logistics are an important part of a manufacturer's Scope 3 emissions, so understanding the performance of logistics providers is also part of measuring and reducing value chain emissions.

How Manglai can help

While SQAS assesses how your logistics partners operate, you still need to quantify the emissions associated with transport and the rest of your value chain. At Manglai we help companies measure their carbon footprint across Scopes 1, 2 and 3 and prepare their sustainability reporting. Discover how Manglai can help you.